Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Westerinen Line
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Statistics from Lichess
3,609 games: White 47.4% / Draw 8.5% / Black 44.2%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 2,6742,674 | ||
| 892892 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 66 | ||
| 44 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 33 |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.49 White is slightly better
Best play: 8. Qe2 Bf5 9. Rd1 Qe7 10. c3 h6 11. Nd4 Bg6 12. Nd2 Nxd2
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
Overview
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Westerinen Line (ECO C67, Open Games) is a variation of the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Ne4 (7 moves).
In 3,609 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 47.4%, Black 44.2% and 8.5% were drawn. White's most played move here is 8. Qxd8+, in 74% of those games.
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How to play against the Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Westerinen Line
8. Qe2 scores best for White: 56.2%, with White winning 53.4% and Black 40.9% of 892 games. The most played answer, 8. Qxd8+, scores lowest: 50.1% in 2,674 games. Stockfish's first choice is also 8. Qe2.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, l'Hermet Variation, Westerinen Line (C67)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/ruy-lopez-berlin-defense-lhermet-variation-westerinen-line